February

Top Story

The ABA is bracing for a fight to preserve funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which is facing a $70 million cut as part H.R. 1, legislation passed by the House Feb. 18 that would reduce current-year appropriations for programs across the federal government by approximately $60 billion.

Witnesses appearing before a Jan. 25 House Committee on Foreign Affairs briefing to examine urgent problems at the United Nations overwhelmingly argued in favor of U.S action to push for sweeping reforms of the international organization.

In a supplemental brief filed Feb. 3 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the ABA maintained that the Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-319), signed into law in December, reflects that Congress never intended to include lawyers in the practice of law as “creditors” under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act).

ABA President Stephen N. Zack applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this month for filing a complaint in the U.S. District Court of Nevada against the alleged unauthorized practice of immigration law and notario fraud, which is becoming an increasingly serious problem within the immigrant communities throughout the United States.

ABA President Stephen N. Zack expressed the association’s concerns to House appropriators Feb. 4 about funding for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which operates entirely on user fee collections but is currently in a crisis.

The House cleared legislation Feb. 17 to extend the “library,” “lone wolf” and “roving wiretap” anti-terrorism provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act through May 27 after agreement could not be reached on proposals to either make the provisions permanent or extend them through 2013.

ABA Washington Letter

The ABA Washington Letter is a monthly publication produced by the Governmental Affairs Office to report and analyze congressional and executive branch action on legislative issues of interest to the ABA and the legal profession. The newsletter highlights ABA involvement in the federal legislative process and focuses on the association's legislative and governmental priorities and other issues on which the ABA has policy.

ABA Washington Summary

The ABA Washington Summary is a daily online publication providing up-to-date information on congressional and executive branch activity with regard to legislative issues of interest to the organized bar. Sources include the Congressional Record and Federal Register. The contents of this publication do not necessarily represent the positions of the American Bar Association.